Process for treating bricks and other articles formed or constructed of clay.



.nary manner. A My invention has also for. its object in ad-' dition to changing or altering the colorof bricks or other articles formed of clay to ren the same, thenthat is to say,

- UNTTED sri'rns PATENT OFFICE f JOSEPH SIMONS, oF-Los' ANoELEs-cALIFoRMA. a PROCESS FOR TREATING BRICKS AND 0THER ARTICL ES FORMED OR' cousmucrto OF CLA S Specification of. LettersPatent.

Patented'Augl 21', 1906.

Application filed J'u1y18, 1:905. Serial No. 270,285.

To all. whom, it may concern: Be it known that-I, JOSEPH SIMoNs, of the firm of Simons Bros. ,in the city of Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and'State of California, have invented a certain new and useful Process for Treating Bricks and other Articles Formed or Constructed of Clay, of which the following is a full, clean;

other articles formed or constructed ofclay by firing molded clay in kilns or analogous structures, has for its object to change or al-' ter the color of the clay as it appears after 01 in the ordid t e are at high temperatures.

being fired and allowedfto co der the bricks or other articles much more hard-and durable than when not treated by Q1 with the process constituting my present invention. Y

My invention consists as hereinafter, described, ,and in operating the process. of which it is constituted I proceed in the following manner: When bricks or other varti-.

-cles constituted of molded clay are com.-

pletely fired in the kiln or other structure wherein the heat of combustion of the fuel used therein acts upon the bricks or other articles for a suiiicient time to com letely fire efore the temperature of the kiln and its] contents is sensibly loweredthe conduits, passages, or

openings through which the atmospheric air has passed into the kiln during the time of firin closed; so that the further fiow of oxygen into the kiln is entirely stopped, and when steam is used during the period of firing the How of steam into the kiln is also at the same time shut ofl. The bricks or'other articles fired {in the kiln while still hot or at their highest,

tinuous andgsufiicient supply-of carbonaceous to supply oxygen for entering intocom ustion with the fuel are completely gases is also maintained within t e kiln by the heat therein acting upon eith r mineral oil, such-as petroleum, being injected or'oth-- erwise admitted thereinto, so that the inter; nal heat of thekiln and its contents vaporizes or converts into gas such mineral oil. Coal-tar, asphaltum, pulverized fuel-suchas ground coal, bituminous shale, or-dry sawdust or other carbonaceous gas produci substance may also be fed into the kiln, the heat of which without the presence of oxygen driving off carbonaceous gas'therefrom withoutburning it. The kilnor like chamber or structure becomes in this manner-charged with carbonaceous matter,- which alone acts u on the fired bricks or other articles while e eifect of maintainin the fired bricks or other articles of clay at a 'gh temperature in the kiln immersed in hot carbonaceous gas and without the presence of atmospheric air or steam is not only to change the color of the bricks or other articles which have been fired to such color other thantheir natural fired color as may be desired-e-such, for example, as blue, crimson, deep red, and the like-but thisexposure to the carbonaceous gases in the manner which has been described renders the bricks or other articles so treated much morehard and dense, besides being generally stronger, so that theyv are better adapted for use-in buildings or other structures wherein either" plain or ornamen-" tal bricks or blocks are used.

Having now described thenature of my said invention and the best system, mode, or manner whereby the same may be carried into practical effect, I desire to observe in,

conclusion that what I consider to benov'el and original, and therefore claim aslth'e invention to be secured to me by Letters Patent, is as follows: I

- The process consisting of stopping combustion offuel in a brick-kiln during the operation of firing bricks or other articles formed of clay, while the kiln and its-'contents are at their highest temperature, by closing or shutti'n the passages through or by which atmospheric air and steam have been admitted to burn the carbonaceous fuel within the kiln during the o eration of firing bricks or articles formed 0 clay, and'after the air and'steam have been shut off generattoo ing carbonaceous gas alone within ,the kiln In testimony whereof I, the said JOSEPH by the residual heat therein, to which gas SIMoN's, have hereunto set my hand and seal alone, that is to say, Without air or steam the in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses. 1o

bricks or articles therein are exclusively ex- 4 JOSEPH SIM()NS. [L. s.] 5 osed while the kiln and its contents are al- Witnesses: 4

owed to cool, substantially as hereinbefore ST. JOHN DAY,

set forth. J. D. CORY. 

